Exclusive: The Dtla Film Festival has set the full feature lineup for its 15th edition, taking place at Regal L.A. Live from November 1-5, announcing the Jack Huston starrer Hail Mary as its opening night film.
Also starring Angela Sarafyan, Natalia del Riego, and Benny Emmanuel, the film from Rosemary Rodriguez is described as a genre-bending retelling of the Mary and Joseph story following an undocumented, pregnant migrant’s journey to make it safely across the U.S. border.
Nicki Micheaux’s Summer of Violence will serve as Centerpiece film for the fest, being put on in accordance with SAG-AFTRA strike guidelines, with Deborah Attoinese’s Women in Fire to close it out. Additional feature highlights include the sci-fi rom-com Molli and Max in the Future starring Zosia Mamet, Aristotle Athari, and Okieriete Onaodowan; Maxim Pozdorovkin’s animated doc The Conspiracy featuring voice actors like Mayim Bialik, Liev Schreiber,...
Also starring Angela Sarafyan, Natalia del Riego, and Benny Emmanuel, the film from Rosemary Rodriguez is described as a genre-bending retelling of the Mary and Joseph story following an undocumented, pregnant migrant’s journey to make it safely across the U.S. border.
Nicki Micheaux’s Summer of Violence will serve as Centerpiece film for the fest, being put on in accordance with SAG-AFTRA strike guidelines, with Deborah Attoinese’s Women in Fire to close it out. Additional feature highlights include the sci-fi rom-com Molli and Max in the Future starring Zosia Mamet, Aristotle Athari, and Okieriete Onaodowan; Maxim Pozdorovkin’s animated doc The Conspiracy featuring voice actors like Mayim Bialik, Liev Schreiber,...
- 10/2/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
As the market for independently made documentaries continues to dry up, regional film festivals have become essential to filmmakers hoping to sell their docs.
At this year’s Sarasota Film Festival, which kicks off on March 25, 36 documentaries are part of the lineup. Over 25 of them are seeking distribution. They include Luke Lorentzen’s “A Still Small Voice,” Alexandria Bombach’s “It’s Only Life After All” about the Indigo Girls, Ben Braun and Chiaki Yanagimoto “Aum: The Cult at the End of the World” and Bethann Hardison and Frédéric Tcheng’s “Invisible Beauty.” All four films premiered at Sundance in January.
“From Submarine’s point of view, we’ve always encouraged great regional festivals like Sarasota, the Berkshires, Woodstock and the Hamptons partially because there is the possibility that awards voters are there,” says Submarine Entertainment sales agent Josh Braun, who reps both “Aum: The Cult at the End of the World” and “Invisible Beauty.
At this year’s Sarasota Film Festival, which kicks off on March 25, 36 documentaries are part of the lineup. Over 25 of them are seeking distribution. They include Luke Lorentzen’s “A Still Small Voice,” Alexandria Bombach’s “It’s Only Life After All” about the Indigo Girls, Ben Braun and Chiaki Yanagimoto “Aum: The Cult at the End of the World” and Bethann Hardison and Frédéric Tcheng’s “Invisible Beauty.” All four films premiered at Sundance in January.
“From Submarine’s point of view, we’ve always encouraged great regional festivals like Sarasota, the Berkshires, Woodstock and the Hamptons partially because there is the possibility that awards voters are there,” says Submarine Entertainment sales agent Josh Braun, who reps both “Aum: The Cult at the End of the World” and “Invisible Beauty.
- 3/25/2023
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
From robot-inflicted deaths (2018’s The Truth About Killer Robots) to the rise of Donald Trump through Russian state-sponsored media (2018’s Our New President), Maxim Pozdorovkin recently has taken some unconventional routes down the darkest of rabbit holes. So perhaps it’s no surprise that the Russian-American filmmaker’s latest, The Conspiracy, closing this year’s Doc NYC, is both artistically inventive (featuring evocative animation seamlessly wed with archival imagery) and downright chilling. With a powerful score and big names such as Liev Schreiber (Trotsky) and Jason Alexander (Max Warburg) added to the mix, Pozdorovkin weaves together the interwar stories of three prominent Jewish families: […]
The post “This Myth Has Plagued the World for Centuries”: Maxim Pozdorovkin on His Doc NYC Closing Night Film The Conspiracy first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “This Myth Has Plagued the World for Centuries”: Maxim Pozdorovkin on His Doc NYC Closing Night Film The Conspiracy first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 11/17/2022
- by Lauren Wissot
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
From robot-inflicted deaths (2018’s The Truth About Killer Robots) to the rise of Donald Trump through Russian state-sponsored media (2018’s Our New President), Maxim Pozdorovkin recently has taken some unconventional routes down the darkest of rabbit holes. So perhaps it’s no surprise that the Russian-American filmmaker’s latest, The Conspiracy, closing this year’s Doc NYC, is both artistically inventive (featuring evocative animation seamlessly wed with archival imagery) and downright chilling. With a powerful score and big names such as Liev Schreiber (Trotsky) and Jason Alexander (Max Warburg) added to the mix, Pozdorovkin weaves together the interwar stories of three prominent Jewish families: […]
The post “This Myth Has Plagued the World for Centuries”: Maxim Pozdorovkin on His Doc NYC Closing Night Film The Conspiracy first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “This Myth Has Plagued the World for Centuries”: Maxim Pozdorovkin on His Doc NYC Closing Night Film The Conspiracy first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 11/17/2022
- by Lauren Wissot
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
Exclusive: Story Syndicate, the New York-based film and television production company founded by Oscar- and Emmy-winning filmmaking couple Dan Cogan and Liz Garbus, has added four executives to its growing ranks.
Joining Story Syndicate in the newly-created role of COO is Mala Chapple, a Peabody-winning and Emmy nominated executive producer and production executive who previously held the title of SVP of Content Strategy, Operations, and Media Partnerships at Viacom. Chapple will be tasked with overseeing “the company’s growing production slate as well as its business operations,” according to a release.
Nell Constantinople and Jack Youngelson will take on the roles of SVP of Current, while Shane Tilston joins in the position of VP of Production, reporting to Chapple. All the new hires will “work directly with Cogan and Garbus to continue to expand and build out the company’s production and development content slate.”
Story Syndicate, which describes itself...
Joining Story Syndicate in the newly-created role of COO is Mala Chapple, a Peabody-winning and Emmy nominated executive producer and production executive who previously held the title of SVP of Content Strategy, Operations, and Media Partnerships at Viacom. Chapple will be tasked with overseeing “the company’s growing production slate as well as its business operations,” according to a release.
Nell Constantinople and Jack Youngelson will take on the roles of SVP of Current, while Shane Tilston joins in the position of VP of Production, reporting to Chapple. All the new hires will “work directly with Cogan and Garbus to continue to expand and build out the company’s production and development content slate.”
Story Syndicate, which describes itself...
- 11/8/2021
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Jewish Story Partners, a new Los Angeles-based film foundation with initial funding from Steven Spielberg and Kate Capshaw’s Righteous Persons Foundation, named its first round of grantees Wednesday including projects from Joey Soloway (Transparent), Maxim Pozdorovkin (Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer, Our New President) and Luke Lorentzen (Midnight Family).
Jsp awarded a total of $225,000 to ten U.S. documentary projects. The selections jury included Lou Cove, founder of Jewish arts funding collaborative Canvas; documentary film producer Julie Goldman, and Kim Yutani, Director of Programming, Sundance Film Festival.
“We are honored to support this bold and imaginative group of filmmakers and their projects,” the trio said in a joint statement. “These excellent films reflect a broad range of Jewish experiences, from the spiritual and artistic to the cultural and political.”
Jsp is led by Roberta Grossman, who serves as Producing Director, and veteran film festival programmer, former Sundance Catalyst director,...
Jsp awarded a total of $225,000 to ten U.S. documentary projects. The selections jury included Lou Cove, founder of Jewish arts funding collaborative Canvas; documentary film producer Julie Goldman, and Kim Yutani, Director of Programming, Sundance Film Festival.
“We are honored to support this bold and imaginative group of filmmakers and their projects,” the trio said in a joint statement. “These excellent films reflect a broad range of Jewish experiences, from the spiritual and artistic to the cultural and political.”
Jsp is led by Roberta Grossman, who serves as Producing Director, and veteran film festival programmer, former Sundance Catalyst director,...
- 4/28/2021
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
An array of high-profile documentarians have come on board “The Conspiracy,” exploring the history of anti-Semitism and archaic conspiracies against the Jewish people, Variety has learned exclusively.
“The Conspiracy” will explore various myths and inaccuracies that have plagued Jewish people and the Jewish religion through the centuries, and which have given rise to a unique prejudice that persists to this day. This documentary seeks to showcase the manner in which one of the most pervasive deceptions about Judaism of all time — that a dangerous group of powerful Jewish people equipped with mysterious powers control the world — can be traced through cataclysmic and violent events toward Jewish people throughout history and into the present. This film includes a mixture of animation and archival footage as it shows the evolution of these lies via the stories of different Jewish families throughout history.
The film is in production and is directed by Sundance award-winning filmmaker Maxim Pozdorovkin,...
“The Conspiracy” will explore various myths and inaccuracies that have plagued Jewish people and the Jewish religion through the centuries, and which have given rise to a unique prejudice that persists to this day. This documentary seeks to showcase the manner in which one of the most pervasive deceptions about Judaism of all time — that a dangerous group of powerful Jewish people equipped with mysterious powers control the world — can be traced through cataclysmic and violent events toward Jewish people throughout history and into the present. This film includes a mixture of animation and archival footage as it shows the evolution of these lies via the stories of different Jewish families throughout history.
The film is in production and is directed by Sundance award-winning filmmaker Maxim Pozdorovkin,...
- 12/10/2020
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
In a cautionary film, director Maxim Pozdorovkin lays out the many ways that automation could affect us in the long term from labor to sex to psychology
When it comes to the dangers posed to us by automatons, film-maker Maxim Pozdorovkin wants us to start thinking beyond what Hollywood has warned us about.
“This idea of a single, malevolent AI being that can harm us, the Terminator trope … I think it’s created a tremendous blind spot,” he said to the Guardian. “[It gets us] thinking about something that we’re heading towards in the future, something that will one day hurt us. If you look at the effects of automation broadly, globally, right now, it’s much more pervasive. The things happening – de-skilling, the loss of human dignity associated with traditional labor – they will have a devastating effect much sooner than that long-distance threat of unchecked AI.”...
When it comes to the dangers posed to us by automatons, film-maker Maxim Pozdorovkin wants us to start thinking beyond what Hollywood has warned us about.
“This idea of a single, malevolent AI being that can harm us, the Terminator trope … I think it’s created a tremendous blind spot,” he said to the Guardian. “[It gets us] thinking about something that we’re heading towards in the future, something that will one day hurt us. If you look at the effects of automation broadly, globally, right now, it’s much more pervasive. The things happening – de-skilling, the loss of human dignity associated with traditional labor – they will have a devastating effect much sooner than that long-distance threat of unchecked AI.”...
- 11/26/2018
- by Zach Vasquez
- The Guardian - Film News
Alec Bojalad Nov 23, 2018
Maxim Pozdorovkin, director of the HBO documentary The Truth About Killer Robots discusses what there is to fear about tech.
Director Maxim Pozdorovkin wants you to know the truth about killer robots. And it's a truth that's far more complex than you'd think.
While Pozdorovkin's documentary, The Truth About Killer Robots, opens with the story of a robot on human homicide in Germany,
it isn't purely about a Skynet future in which bloodthirsty androids kill indiscriminately to replace us. Instead the documentary is about all of the quieter yet equally insidious ways that technology has already replaced us.
"This is a movie about the effects of automation on humanity, and these kinds of large structural economic issues," Pozdorovkin says. "We have these more alienated working environments where you have this very, very small number of humans that are kind of assisting the robots in places where there's some kind of disconnect.
Maxim Pozdorovkin, director of the HBO documentary The Truth About Killer Robots discusses what there is to fear about tech.
Director Maxim Pozdorovkin wants you to know the truth about killer robots. And it's a truth that's far more complex than you'd think.
While Pozdorovkin's documentary, The Truth About Killer Robots, opens with the story of a robot on human homicide in Germany,
it isn't purely about a Skynet future in which bloodthirsty androids kill indiscriminately to replace us. Instead the documentary is about all of the quieter yet equally insidious ways that technology has already replaced us.
"This is a movie about the effects of automation on humanity, and these kinds of large structural economic issues," Pozdorovkin says. "We have these more alienated working environments where you have this very, very small number of humans that are kind of assisting the robots in places where there's some kind of disconnect.
- 11/20/2018
- Den of Geek
Alec Bojalad Nov 12, 2018
HBO has released the first trailer for the documentary, The Truth About Killer Robots, which will presumably not be terrifying at all.
Look, I know we're all busy people. We've got jobs to do, people to see. Sometimes, however, it feels like we should spare a moment just to remember that the robots are coming to kill us all...or merely take our jobs.
Thankfully, HBO is shepherding filmmaker Maxim Pozdorovkin's documentary, The Truth About Killer Robots, to remind us.
The documentary, which premiered at Tiff 2018, examines the increasing role of automation in our lives and introduces the robots that will be displacing us. Check out some of the horror below.
Video of The Truth About Killer Robots (2018) | Official Trailer | HBO
"This is a story of automation and the people lost in the process," a terrifying robotic voice says to open the trailer. As it turns...
HBO has released the first trailer for the documentary, The Truth About Killer Robots, which will presumably not be terrifying at all.
Look, I know we're all busy people. We've got jobs to do, people to see. Sometimes, however, it feels like we should spare a moment just to remember that the robots are coming to kill us all...or merely take our jobs.
Thankfully, HBO is shepherding filmmaker Maxim Pozdorovkin's documentary, The Truth About Killer Robots, to remind us.
The documentary, which premiered at Tiff 2018, examines the increasing role of automation in our lives and introduces the robots that will be displacing us. Check out some of the horror below.
Video of The Truth About Killer Robots (2018) | Official Trailer | HBO
"This is a story of automation and the people lost in the process," a terrifying robotic voice says to open the trailer. As it turns...
- 11/12/2018
- Den of Geek
Karel Žalud’s ’Enclosed World’ took best Czech documentary.
The Czech Republic’s Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival has awarded prizes for its 22nd edition (October 25-30), with Karel Žalud’s Enclosed World taking the best Czech documentary award.
The four-hour documentary charts life on both sides of the bars in prison, taking in staff as well as individuals at different stages of their incarceration. The jury commented that “the film urgently calls for reflection on how justice is understood and implemented in contemporary society”.
The award was given as part of the ‘Czech Joy’ strand; other prizes in...
The Czech Republic’s Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival has awarded prizes for its 22nd edition (October 25-30), with Karel Žalud’s Enclosed World taking the best Czech documentary award.
The four-hour documentary charts life on both sides of the bars in prison, taking in staff as well as individuals at different stages of their incarceration. The jury commented that “the film urgently calls for reflection on how justice is understood and implemented in contemporary society”.
The award was given as part of the ‘Czech Joy’ strand; other prizes in...
- 10/30/2018
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Although some serious points were made, the mood was light and even jovial at the closing night of the 22nd Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival. Packed into Kino Dko II, a crowd of filmmakers and producers saw the awards handed out in the presence of a live 15-piece band that blasted out the opening bars of Stevie Wonder’s “Sir Duke” as the winners took to the stage. Handing out the award for Opus Bonum – a prize given, unusually, by a single juror – Poland’s Krzysztof Zanussi, in town for a masterclass, joked that being the lone arbiter “was a special experience – all night I was fighting with myself.”
Many winners – like “Vacancy” director Alexandra Kandy Longuet, who accepted via video – kept their speeches short and thanked the festival, their subject and their colleagues, while Jean-Luc Godard, winner of the Contribution to World Cinema Award, sent over a few...
Many winners – like “Vacancy” director Alexandra Kandy Longuet, who accepted via video – kept their speeches short and thanked the festival, their subject and their colleagues, while Jean-Luc Godard, winner of the Contribution to World Cinema Award, sent over a few...
- 10/30/2018
- by Damon Wise
- Variety Film + TV
Charles Ferguson’s “Watergate” will open the Double Exposure Investigative Film Festival on Oct. 10 at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C.
Alexis Bloom’s “Divide and Conquer: The Story of Roger Ailes” will close the festival on Oct. 13 at the Naval Heritage Center in Washington, D.C., which will be the site for all films after opening night.
“Ghost Fleet,” directed by Shannon Service and Jeffrey Waldron is the festival centerpiece on Oct. 12. The festival will host a special screening of “The Panama Papers,” directed by Alex Winter, on Oct. 13.
Ferguson won an Oscar for “Inside Job,” a 2010 film that examined the corruption at the root of the financial crisis. His new film was originally titled “Watergate — Or: How We Learned to Stop an Out of Control President,” when it screened at Telluride on Aug. 31 in advance of a theatrical release on Oct. 12 and a Nov. 2 television bow on History.
Alexis Bloom’s “Divide and Conquer: The Story of Roger Ailes” will close the festival on Oct. 13 at the Naval Heritage Center in Washington, D.C., which will be the site for all films after opening night.
“Ghost Fleet,” directed by Shannon Service and Jeffrey Waldron is the festival centerpiece on Oct. 12. The festival will host a special screening of “The Panama Papers,” directed by Alex Winter, on Oct. 13.
Ferguson won an Oscar for “Inside Job,” a 2010 film that examined the corruption at the root of the financial crisis. His new film was originally titled “Watergate — Or: How We Learned to Stop an Out of Control President,” when it screened at Telluride on Aug. 31 in advance of a theatrical release on Oct. 12 and a Nov. 2 television bow on History.
- 9/18/2018
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
The sensational title The Truth About Killer Robots should lure a curious segment of the public to check out Maxim Pozdorovkin’s scary reflections on how far humanity has come in handing over the keys to its automated servants. As the film points out, robot killings don’t just refer to freak industrial accidents and malfunctioning driverless cars; they grimly extend to the endless loss of people-jobs to automation, which is sending many members of human society into economic hell. After its Toronto bow, this intriguing, carefully reasoned film should catch a wide audience on HBO’s Documentary Film series in ...
- 9/11/2018
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The sensational title The Truth About Killer Robots should lure a curious segment of the public to check out Maxim Pozdorovkin’s scary reflections on how far humanity has come in handing over the keys to its automated servants. As the film points out, robot killings don’t just refer to freak industrial accidents and malfunctioning driverless cars; they grimly extend to the endless loss of people-jobs to automation, which is sending many members of human society into economic hell. After its Toronto bow, this intriguing, carefully reasoned film should catch a wide audience on HBO’s Documentary Film series in ...
- 9/11/2018
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
The title to Maxim Pozdorovkin’s documentary The Truth About Killer Robots is intentionally sensationalized for the same reasons a real newspaper article about the death by machine of a Volkswagen factory worker would be accompanied by a photograph of a terminator. James Cameron put a face to the concern humanity has about artificial intelligence and technology — that some type of uprising will occur once we either wrong our creations or prove the catalyst of our own extinction and thus the “disease” needing to be eradicated for survival. We joke about Skynet going online and our assistance in bringing ourselves closer to that reality because we like dismissing fears as things only in our heads. But the threat robots pose isn’t imaginary. It’s just not quite what fantasy presumes.
Pozdorovkin rightfully lays the framework of his film upon the thesis Isaac Asimov put in-motion as far as parameters to govern machines.
Pozdorovkin rightfully lays the framework of his film upon the thesis Isaac Asimov put in-motion as far as parameters to govern machines.
- 9/11/2018
- by Jared Mobarak
- The Film Stage
It’s been close to two years since the 2016 presidential election and although a few documentaries about President Trump have been released, including Jack Bryan’s “Active Measures” and Maxim Pozdorovkin’s “Our New President,” there has yet to be a seminal film about the making of America’s 45th president.
Until Tiff 2018.
This year’s fest nonfiction lineup features a crop of powerful films from veteran doc directors that explore not only the rise of Trump, but also the people responsible for his success. People such as Steve Bannon and Roger Ailes.
“It makes sense that we’re seeing films directly reflective of the 2016 election now, two years later,” said Tiff documentary programmer Thom Powers. “I think two years is the kind of typical gestation period for filmmakers to really pull off a great documentary.”
Powers was referring to the cluster of docus that tackle and reflect upon America...
Until Tiff 2018.
This year’s fest nonfiction lineup features a crop of powerful films from veteran doc directors that explore not only the rise of Trump, but also the people responsible for his success. People such as Steve Bannon and Roger Ailes.
“It makes sense that we’re seeing films directly reflective of the 2016 election now, two years later,” said Tiff documentary programmer Thom Powers. “I think two years is the kind of typical gestation period for filmmakers to really pull off a great documentary.”
Powers was referring to the cluster of docus that tackle and reflect upon America...
- 9/9/2018
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
The 2018 Toronto Film Festival has unveiled lineups for its key Tiff Docs and Midnight sidebars, which features a host of strong world premieres including for Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 11/9, Alexis Bloom’s Roger Ailes pic Divide and Conquer and Rashida Jones’ Quincy in the documentary section and Shane Black’s The Predator and David Gordon Green’s Halloween in the genre pic lineup.
The fest, which kicks off its 43rd edition September 6, also revealed its classics sidebar Tiff Cinematheque and short films lineups Thursday. (See the full lists below.)
Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11, which unveiled its first trailer today ahead of Tiff’s announcement and the pic’s September 21 theatrical release, will open the Tiff Docs sidebars, which also features the heart-stopping El Capitan free-climb docu Free Solo, Tom Donahue’s This Changes Everything and the closing film Searching for Ingmar Bergman.
Fox’s The Predator reboot, which hits big...
The fest, which kicks off its 43rd edition September 6, also revealed its classics sidebar Tiff Cinematheque and short films lineups Thursday. (See the full lists below.)
Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11, which unveiled its first trailer today ahead of Tiff’s announcement and the pic’s September 21 theatrical release, will open the Tiff Docs sidebars, which also features the heart-stopping El Capitan free-climb docu Free Solo, Tom Donahue’s This Changes Everything and the closing film Searching for Ingmar Bergman.
Fox’s The Predator reboot, which hits big...
- 8/9/2018
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
Shane’s Black’s “The Predator,” David Gordon Green’s “Halloween” reboot and Michael Moore’s “Fahrenheit 11/9” will all have world premieres at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival.
The titles were unveiled Thursday as part of the slates for the genre-centric Midnight Madness program and the Tiff Docs section.
“This year’s Midnight Madness slate promises another idiosyncratic confluence of established and emerging genre filmmakers,” said Peter Kuplowsky, Midnight Madness programmer. “To complement some of the buzziest provocations on the festival circuit, I have sought to curate an eccentric array of world premieres that demonstrate the dexterity of genre cinema as a canvas for both sublime satisfaction and stunning subversion. That includes the section’s two much-anticipated sequels, ‘The Predator’ and ‘Halloween,’ each of which boldly and brilliantly builds upon its mythic iconography to thrilling and surprising effect.”
Midnight Madness will open with the “The Predator” and...
The titles were unveiled Thursday as part of the slates for the genre-centric Midnight Madness program and the Tiff Docs section.
“This year’s Midnight Madness slate promises another idiosyncratic confluence of established and emerging genre filmmakers,” said Peter Kuplowsky, Midnight Madness programmer. “To complement some of the buzziest provocations on the festival circuit, I have sought to curate an eccentric array of world premieres that demonstrate the dexterity of genre cinema as a canvas for both sublime satisfaction and stunning subversion. That includes the section’s two much-anticipated sequels, ‘The Predator’ and ‘Halloween,’ each of which boldly and brilliantly builds upon its mythic iconography to thrilling and surprising effect.”
Midnight Madness will open with the “The Predator” and...
- 8/9/2018
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
Tiff Midnight Madness to feature first Indian entry, The Man Who Feels No Pain, and Peter Strickland’s In Fabric.
The world premiere of Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 11/9 exploring life in the United States under president Trump will open Tiff Docs at the Toronto International Film Festival, while David Gordon Green’s Halloween and Shane Black’s The Predator receive their world premeres in Midnight Madness.
Midnight Madness
The 10 Midnight Madness selections include the world premieres of Peter Strickland’s In Fabric, about a cursed dress, and the first Indian film ever to screen in the section, Vasan Bala’s...
The world premiere of Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 11/9 exploring life in the United States under president Trump will open Tiff Docs at the Toronto International Film Festival, while David Gordon Green’s Halloween and Shane Black’s The Predator receive their world premeres in Midnight Madness.
Midnight Madness
The 10 Midnight Madness selections include the world premieres of Peter Strickland’s In Fabric, about a cursed dress, and the first Indian film ever to screen in the section, Vasan Bala’s...
- 8/9/2018
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
In the era of fake news and alternative facts, and of people constructing their own custom-made versions of reality, Penny Lane’s The Pain of Others feels very timely, to say the least. Defying any expectations and preconceived notions, Lane’s perfectly titled “body-horror doc” acts as a challenging and thought-provoking sociological study of one unusual YouTube community. The Pain of Others weaves together the video diaries of three women suffering from Morgellons disease, a term given […]...
- 6/25/2018
- by Lauren Wissot
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
In the era of fake news and alternative facts, and of people constructing their own custom-made versions of reality, Penny Lane’s The Pain of Others feels very timely, to say the least. Defying any expectations and preconceived notions, Lane’s perfectly titled “body-horror doc” acts as a challenging and thought-provoking sociological study of one unusual YouTube community. The Pain of Others weaves together the video diaries of three women suffering from Morgellons disease, a term given […]...
- 6/25/2018
- by Lauren Wissot
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Rooftop Films released the first round of titles screening in its popular summer series, including Robert Pattinson in David and Nathan Zellner’s “Damsel,” which will make its New York premiere in Brooklyn’s Green-Wood cemetery. The series features a slew of the year’s most highly-anticipated festival favorites, including Bart Layton’s “American Animals,” and Crystal Moselle’s “Skate Kitchen,” and a sneak preview of Carlos López Estrada’s “Blindspotting,” starring “Hamilton” actor Daveed Diggs.
“Rooftop Films is famous for creating fun, custom-curated, large-scale events that augment the
experience of watching our favorite new films,” said Dan Nuxoll, Artistic Director of Rooftop Films. “This year we have put extra effort into adding exciting components to every event, including a performance from the vivacious Arkansas drag queens from Michael Palmieri and Donal Mosher’s ‘The Gospel of Eureka.'”
Rooftop is introducing two new venues this year: Brooklyn Army Terminal and Green-Wood Cemetery,...
“Rooftop Films is famous for creating fun, custom-curated, large-scale events that augment the
experience of watching our favorite new films,” said Dan Nuxoll, Artistic Director of Rooftop Films. “This year we have put extra effort into adding exciting components to every event, including a performance from the vivacious Arkansas drag queens from Michael Palmieri and Donal Mosher’s ‘The Gospel of Eureka.'”
Rooftop is introducing two new venues this year: Brooklyn Army Terminal and Green-Wood Cemetery,...
- 4/30/2018
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
U.S. presidential and racial politics feature in the first wave of world premieres unveiled for the upcoming Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival.
The fest on Tuesday said it will debut Jack Bryan's Active Measures, which uncovers Trump-Putin ties dating back to the 1970s that led up to Russian cyber-warfare impacting the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
There also will be a world premiere for Oscar-nominated director Richard Rowley's Blue Wall, which probes the 2014 Chicago police killing of Laquan McDonald and the City Hall cover-up that followed.
Also on tap is the Canadian bow of Maxim Pozdorovkin's Sundance title Our...
The fest on Tuesday said it will debut Jack Bryan's Active Measures, which uncovers Trump-Putin ties dating back to the 1970s that led up to Russian cyber-warfare impacting the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
There also will be a world premiere for Oscar-nominated director Richard Rowley's Blue Wall, which probes the 2014 Chicago police killing of Laquan McDonald and the City Hall cover-up that followed.
Also on tap is the Canadian bow of Maxim Pozdorovkin's Sundance title Our...
- 3/13/2018
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Musicians The xx presents a curated programme; festival hosts world premieres of new films by Andreas Dalsgaard and Iris Zaki.
Cph:Dox will offer more than 200 films during its 15th event, which runs March 15-25.
In its five competitions (full list below), world premieres include Woman In Sink director Iris Zaki’s new film Unsettling, about Jewish setllers in the West Bank; The War Show director Andreas Dalsgaard’s The Great Game, about a man trying to find out if his grandfather was a spy; Emma Davie & Peter Mettler’s Becoming Animal, about how our relationship with nature has evolved; and Elissa Mirzaei & Gulistan Mirzaei’s Laila at the Bridge, about an Afghan woman trying to save heroin addicts in Kabul.
Highlights also include a specially curated programme by The xx; a focus on justice (films will include Pre-Crime, Recruiting for Jihad and The Congo Tribunal); and a film programme and art exhibition dedicated to social experiments (with films...
Cph:Dox will offer more than 200 films during its 15th event, which runs March 15-25.
In its five competitions (full list below), world premieres include Woman In Sink director Iris Zaki’s new film Unsettling, about Jewish setllers in the West Bank; The War Show director Andreas Dalsgaard’s The Great Game, about a man trying to find out if his grandfather was a spy; Emma Davie & Peter Mettler’s Becoming Animal, about how our relationship with nature has evolved; and Elissa Mirzaei & Gulistan Mirzaei’s Laila at the Bridge, about an Afghan woman trying to save heroin addicts in Kabul.
Highlights also include a specially curated programme by The xx; a focus on justice (films will include Pre-Crime, Recruiting for Jihad and The Congo Tribunal); and a film programme and art exhibition dedicated to social experiments (with films...
- 2/16/2018
- by Wendy Mitchell
- ScreenDaily
Works in progress to include ‘Reconstructing Utoya’; new science section includes portrait of Oliver Sacks.
Cph:Dox has unveiled the 26 projects to be presented in its Cph:Forum, its financing and co-production event (March 21-22) that works across creative filmmaking.
The projects are from the likes of established directors such as Maxim Pozdorovkin (Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer), Guy Davidi (5 Broken Cameras), Camilla Nielsson (Democrats), Anna Eborn (Pine Ridge) and Grant Gee (Meeting People is Easy).
Topics range from a family trying to find their own utopia in an organic village; a portrait of Lee Miller; the filmic obsessions of Lars von Trier; and Chinese women trying to find a partner by age 27.
For the fifth year, the Forum projects are eligible for the Eurimages Co-Production Development Award of $18,400 €15,000 for the event’s best pitch. Kickstarter provides guidance and promotional support for the Forum projects as well.
More than 150 attending decision makers will include European broadcasters such as...
Cph:Dox has unveiled the 26 projects to be presented in its Cph:Forum, its financing and co-production event (March 21-22) that works across creative filmmaking.
The projects are from the likes of established directors such as Maxim Pozdorovkin (Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer), Guy Davidi (5 Broken Cameras), Camilla Nielsson (Democrats), Anna Eborn (Pine Ridge) and Grant Gee (Meeting People is Easy).
Topics range from a family trying to find their own utopia in an organic village; a portrait of Lee Miller; the filmic obsessions of Lars von Trier; and Chinese women trying to find a partner by age 27.
For the fifth year, the Forum projects are eligible for the Eurimages Co-Production Development Award of $18,400 €15,000 for the event’s best pitch. Kickstarter provides guidance and promotional support for the Forum projects as well.
More than 150 attending decision makers will include European broadcasters such as...
- 2/8/2018
- by Wendy Mitchell
- ScreenDaily
by David González, Cineuropa.orgTolga Karaçelik’s film has won the World Cinema Dramatic Grand Jury Prize, while Talal Derki has triumphed again in the World Cinema Documentary Competition
Butterflies by Tolga Karaçelik
The Sundance Film Festival came to an end yesterday, after the list of films awarded by the jury (which included Ruben Östlund) was unveiled at a ceremony on Saturday evening. Curiously enough, the World Cinema competitions, which included a handful of European productions and co-productions, witnessed the triumph of two films hailing from the Middle East.
Turkish filmmaker Tolga Karaçelik’s Butterflies, the follow-up to his award-winning Ivy, received the Grand Jury Prize in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition. The film follows three siblings who do not know each other or anything about their late father, as they wait to bury his body in a rural Turkish village.
Furthermore, the World Cinema Dramatic Competition saw victory for European talent,...
Butterflies by Tolga Karaçelik
The Sundance Film Festival came to an end yesterday, after the list of films awarded by the jury (which included Ruben Östlund) was unveiled at a ceremony on Saturday evening. Curiously enough, the World Cinema competitions, which included a handful of European productions and co-productions, witnessed the triumph of two films hailing from the Middle East.
Turkish filmmaker Tolga Karaçelik’s Butterflies, the follow-up to his award-winning Ivy, received the Grand Jury Prize in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition. The film follows three siblings who do not know each other or anything about their late father, as they wait to bury his body in a rural Turkish village.
Furthermore, the World Cinema Dramatic Competition saw victory for European talent,...
- 2/5/2018
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
The Guilty, Shirkers claim Park City honourees on Saturday night.
Sundance 2018 wrapped on Saturday (January 27) with juried awards for The Miseducation Of Cameron Post (pictured) in the U.S. Dramatic programme, Kailash in U.S. Documentary, Of Fathers And Sons in World Cinema Documentary, and Butterflies in World Cinema Dramatic.
In other highlights, Gustav Möller’s acclaimed Danish selection The Guilty won the World Cinema Audience award, while Sandi Tan collected the World Cinema Documentary directing award for Shirkers. Festival Favorite, A new award voted on by audiences, will be announced in the coming days.
The Sentence by Rudy Valdez was the audience favourite in the U.S. Documentary category, capping a fine day that saw HBO acquire Us rights from Cinetic Media.
“The scope and scale of this year’s festival – films, events, conversations – were invigorating,” Sundance Institute executive director Keri Putnam said. “I can’t wait to see how our incredible community will leverage these ten days...
Sundance 2018 wrapped on Saturday (January 27) with juried awards for The Miseducation Of Cameron Post (pictured) in the U.S. Dramatic programme, Kailash in U.S. Documentary, Of Fathers And Sons in World Cinema Documentary, and Butterflies in World Cinema Dramatic.
In other highlights, Gustav Möller’s acclaimed Danish selection The Guilty won the World Cinema Audience award, while Sandi Tan collected the World Cinema Documentary directing award for Shirkers. Festival Favorite, A new award voted on by audiences, will be announced in the coming days.
The Sentence by Rudy Valdez was the audience favourite in the U.S. Documentary category, capping a fine day that saw HBO acquire Us rights from Cinetic Media.
“The scope and scale of this year’s festival – films, events, conversations – were invigorating,” Sundance Institute executive director Keri Putnam said. “I can’t wait to see how our incredible community will leverage these ten days...
- 1/27/2018
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
An audaciously assembled film , made up entirely of Russian state news clips and user-generated videos, is a fascinating and necessary curio
Russian-American director Maxim Pozdorovkin delivers a sly slow-burning oddity in this documentary about Russia’s love for Donald Trump, made up entirely of state news clips and bizarre user-generated videos. It’ll annoy many with its refusal to take a stance beyond the absurdity of it all, but that lack of easy outrage makes it a true original. An important documentary for our times too, taking us deep into the heart of a bubble far from our own.
Related: Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind review – loving documentary misses bigger picture
Continue reading...
Russian-American director Maxim Pozdorovkin delivers a sly slow-burning oddity in this documentary about Russia’s love for Donald Trump, made up entirely of state news clips and bizarre user-generated videos. It’ll annoy many with its refusal to take a stance beyond the absurdity of it all, but that lack of easy outrage makes it a true original. An important documentary for our times too, taking us deep into the heart of a bubble far from our own.
Related: Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind review – loving documentary misses bigger picture
Continue reading...
- 1/21/2018
- by Charlie Phillips
- The Guardian - Film News
Viewing the timeline of the 2016 U.S. presidential election and victor Donald Trump’s first year in office through the lens of Russian news, online videos, and assorted pop culture detritus is a funhouse trip in more than one way. There’s the plain fact that Americans in general aren’t well-versed in the media of other countries and how they view us. (I can’t claim to be much more enlightened in this regard than the average person, to be clear.) But the more salacious angle is that this is a trip through the realms of “alternative facts” and “fake news” which we’ve been warned about so much since late 2016.
You don’t have to believe Russia rigged the election to appreciate this documentary. Hell, I’m reasonably sure even Trump fans would like it, though they’d have to ignore the heavy irony draped over it to do so.
You don’t have to believe Russia rigged the election to appreciate this documentary. Hell, I’m reasonably sure even Trump fans would like it, though they’d have to ignore the heavy irony draped over it to do so.
- 1/21/2018
- by Daniel Schindel
- The Film Stage
One day after Donald Trump handed out his Fake News Awards, the Sundance Film Festival kicked off with a film that genuinely sets a new standard for falsehoods — because director Maxim Pozdorovkin’s documentary is based on the Russian propaganda generated during the presidential election that put Trump in power. The film was designed, said the director, to be constructed from “television news footage without a single true statement in it.” “Our New President” screened on the opening night of the Sundance Film Festival, and you could argue that playing this kind of movie at an indie film festival is about...
- 1/19/2018
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
According to assorted data nerds, political pundits and writers of reportage features in the ever-hopeful liberal media, Donald Trump's base appears to be shrinking in America's rural heartlands and rust belt zones. Luckily for the current White House occupant, the documentary Our New President suggests that at least the Russians are still standing staunchly by their man. Indeed, many seen here are proud to brag that it was their nation's efforts that got him elected.
Directed by New York-based Maxim Pozdorovkin, whose earlier doc Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer won a prize at Sundance in 2013, this impishly assembled collage film...
Directed by New York-based Maxim Pozdorovkin, whose earlier doc Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer won a prize at Sundance in 2013, this impishly assembled collage film...
- 1/19/2018
- by Leslie Felperin
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Maxim Pozdorovkin entered the documentary film world in 2013 with Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer, a film that earned him top prizes at Sundance, Cinema Eye Honors and the British Independent Film Awards. He returned to Sundance in 2014 with The Notorious Mr. Bout. Now, he returns to the World Cinema Documentary Competition once again with Our New President, a doc on Russia’s propagandistic state-run news networks. Below, Pozdorovkin and co-editor Matvey Kulakov discuss how they crafted a feature film from such surreal archival footage. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the editor of your film? What were the factors and attributes […]...
- 1/18/2018
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
The end of the year is often seen as a time when awards season gains momentum and critics produce their top 10 lists, but for much of the film industry, it’s also the first big preview of 2018 movies. Thanks to the Sundance Film Festival lineup, which in January will include 110 movies from 29 countries, a fresh crop of films to talk about have just been announced, many of which are certain to continue generating conversations throughout the year.
However, the Sundance program takes its time to gather buzz, and it’s not always obvious which movies deserve the most attention right off the bat. So here’s our annual attempt to take a first crack at some of the surprises and hidden gems in the lineup, with some input from Sundance director John Cooper and director of programming Trevor Groth. We’re as excited as anyone to see Paul Dano’s...
However, the Sundance program takes its time to gather buzz, and it’s not always obvious which movies deserve the most attention right off the bat. So here’s our annual attempt to take a first crack at some of the surprises and hidden gems in the lineup, with some input from Sundance director John Cooper and director of programming Trevor Groth. We’re as excited as anyone to see Paul Dano’s...
- 11/29/2017
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
In “Clínica de Migrantes,” the real people — and their very real lives — that are part of the currently raging undocumented immigrant debate. The documentary follows a wide range of people who all converge on the eponymous health clinic, in search of affordable (and safe) health care.
From the doctors who staff them to the patients desperate for the kind of care that costs too much (in both time and worry), the documentary takes an apolitical stance on an extremely timely issue, forcing its audience to engage with some uncomfortable questions.
Read More:‘Room 104’: ‘The Internet’ Went Back in Time and Proved Why HBO Was Right to Renew This Show
Here’s the synopsis: “From Maxim Pozdorovkin (HBO’s ‘Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer’), ‘Clínica de Migrantes’ goes beyond the politicized rhetoric to show the faces of real people in the middle of the immigration debate, asking if...
From the doctors who staff them to the patients desperate for the kind of care that costs too much (in both time and worry), the documentary takes an apolitical stance on an extremely timely issue, forcing its audience to engage with some uncomfortable questions.
Read More:‘Room 104’: ‘The Internet’ Went Back in Time and Proved Why HBO Was Right to Renew This Show
Here’s the synopsis: “From Maxim Pozdorovkin (HBO’s ‘Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer’), ‘Clínica de Migrantes’ goes beyond the politicized rhetoric to show the faces of real people in the middle of the immigration debate, asking if...
- 9/6/2017
- by Michael Nordine
- Indiewire
Short films stand tall in southern California every year at the Palm Springs International Shortfest — after over 4,000 submissions, 327 shorts from over 50 countries were shown this past week at North America’s largest short film festival. The winners of this year’s festival, announced Sunday night, received combined prizes valued at approximately $115,000 with $20k of that being in cash.
“A common thread of immigration and compassion dominates our award winning films this year – echoing current issues around the world,” said Festival Director Helen du Toit. “After a stimulating and energizing week of storytelling and networking between the next generation of filmmakers, we leave with a sense of hope for a world that, despite some setbacks, does seem to be evolving slowly but surely.”
The Kosovan film “Home” by Daniel Mulloy, which rides along with a “young, happy family [who seem] to be going on holiday but is instead on a journey similar to millions of others,...
“A common thread of immigration and compassion dominates our award winning films this year – echoing current issues around the world,” said Festival Director Helen du Toit. “After a stimulating and energizing week of storytelling and networking between the next generation of filmmakers, we leave with a sense of hope for a world that, despite some setbacks, does seem to be evolving slowly but surely.”
The Kosovan film “Home” by Daniel Mulloy, which rides along with a “young, happy family [who seem] to be going on holiday but is instead on a journey similar to millions of others,...
- 6/28/2016
- by Kyle Kizu
- Indiewire
Short films from Kosovo, France, the Us and Switzerland are among the winners at the Palm Springs International ShortFest.
The Palm Springs International ShortFest has given its Best of Festival Award to Daniel Mulloly’s Home (pictured), from Kosovo, and its Grand Jury Award to Vincent Maury’s Minh Tâm, from France.
Nearly 20 other shorts from the 327 that screened at the event, which bills itself as the largest short film festival and only short film market in North America, also won awards.
The winner of the Best of Festival award gets a $5,000 cash prize and may be eligible to submit their film to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for Oscar consideration. The Grand Jury award comes with a $2,000 cash prize.
The jury – comprising David Ansen, Jeremy Boxer, Zorianna Kit, Molly Parker, Rachel Samuels and Alison Willmore – gave ShortFest’s Panavision Best North American Short award to La Laguna, from Mexico...
The Palm Springs International ShortFest has given its Best of Festival Award to Daniel Mulloly’s Home (pictured), from Kosovo, and its Grand Jury Award to Vincent Maury’s Minh Tâm, from France.
Nearly 20 other shorts from the 327 that screened at the event, which bills itself as the largest short film festival and only short film market in North America, also won awards.
The winner of the Best of Festival award gets a $5,000 cash prize and may be eligible to submit their film to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for Oscar consideration. The Grand Jury award comes with a $2,000 cash prize.
The jury – comprising David Ansen, Jeremy Boxer, Zorianna Kit, Molly Parker, Rachel Samuels and Alison Willmore – gave ShortFest’s Panavision Best North American Short award to La Laguna, from Mexico...
- 6/27/2016
- ScreenDaily
"The Notorious Mr. Bout," the latest doc from co-directors Tony Gerber ("Full Battle Rattle") and Maxim Pozdorovkin ("Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer") delves into the life of a famous Russian arms dealer. Aside from terrific archival footage the film also takes a long look at the way Bout's case was handled and if it was done so fairly. Also whether or not that matters when everyone knows you're a bad, bad man.
- 11/4/2015
- by Christopher Llewellyn Reed
- Hammer to Nail
You may know the co-directors of The Notorious Mr. Bout for their prior individual projects, the likes include Maxim Pozdorovkin’s co-directed project HBO alongside Mike Lerner, Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer, and Tony Gerber’s acclaimed collaboration with Jesse Moss, Full Battle Rattle, but together Pozdorovkin and Gerber have created a surprisingly funny depiction of international crime by profiling famed arms dealer and novice documentarian, Viktor Bout.
Utilizing a treasure trove of footage shot by the Merchant of Death himself, the filmmakers reimagine the glorified public image bestowed upon him by the bloodthirsty mainstream media by deeply investigating his entire mercantile career via interviews with his best friends and biggest enemies. The Notorious Mr. Bout has been picked up for distribution worldwide by Kaleidoscope Film Distribution, sadly excluding Us screens, so domestically they still seem to be waiting it out. The film premiered earlier this year in Park...
Utilizing a treasure trove of footage shot by the Merchant of Death himself, the filmmakers reimagine the glorified public image bestowed upon him by the bloodthirsty mainstream media by deeply investigating his entire mercantile career via interviews with his best friends and biggest enemies. The Notorious Mr. Bout has been picked up for distribution worldwide by Kaleidoscope Film Distribution, sadly excluding Us screens, so domestically they still seem to be waiting it out. The film premiered earlier this year in Park...
- 11/3/2015
- by Jordan M. Smith
- IONCINEMA.com
They say that truth is stranger than fiction, and while Viktor Bout inspired Nicolas Cage's character in "Lord Of War," the real story of the infamous arms dealer beats anything you could put down on paper. Today we have an exclusive clip from the documentary"The Notorious Mr. Bout" Read More: The Films Of Nicolas Cage: A Retrospective Directed by Tony Gerber and Maxim Pozdorovkin, the movie details the rise and fall of Russian entrepreneur, war profiteer, aviation magnate, arms smuggler and even amateur filmmaker Bout, who was captured in 2008. But as you'll see in the scene below, Bout was either the victim of entrapment or fell prey to a clever sting. Following a premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in 2014, "The Notorious Mr. Bout" hits VOD today. Watch below.
- 11/3/2015
- by Edward Davis
- The Playlist
Tinker, Tailer, Soldier, Spoof: Gerber & Pozdorovkin Indulge Bout
You probably know him by his wildly exaggerated media coined title, the ‘Merchant of Death’, or you might even remember Nicolas Cage’s war mongering Hollywood fictionalization of the man in Lord of War, but the real life Viktor Bout, though undeniably complicit in the black market arms trade, may have been more a business savvy buffoon than the master of ballistics he’s thought to be. Collaborating for the first time, directors Tony Gerber and Maxim Pozdorovkin paint a very different picture of the man than we are used to seeing. Harvesting a wealth of hilarious and humanizing home movies shot by Bout himself and his wife, Alla, the filmmakers reveal a man not obsessed with weaponry nor money, but one whose joy springs from time spent with his adoring network of family and friends, as well as from the simple pleasures of tourism,...
You probably know him by his wildly exaggerated media coined title, the ‘Merchant of Death’, or you might even remember Nicolas Cage’s war mongering Hollywood fictionalization of the man in Lord of War, but the real life Viktor Bout, though undeniably complicit in the black market arms trade, may have been more a business savvy buffoon than the master of ballistics he’s thought to be. Collaborating for the first time, directors Tony Gerber and Maxim Pozdorovkin paint a very different picture of the man than we are used to seeing. Harvesting a wealth of hilarious and humanizing home movies shot by Bout himself and his wife, Alla, the filmmakers reveal a man not obsessed with weaponry nor money, but one whose joy springs from time spent with his adoring network of family and friends, as well as from the simple pleasures of tourism,...
- 11/3/2015
- by Jordan M. Smith
- IONCINEMA.com
I enjoyed Andrew Niccol‘s Lord of War when it came out in 2005. It was a fast-paced, enjoyable ride down the rabbit hole of the illegal arms trade, but I had no idea Nicolas Cage‘s character Yuri Orlov was based on a real life “Merchant of Death”. His name is Viktor Bout and he wasn’t even arrested until three years after Hollywood sensationalized the myth of his businessman seen as an international criminal throughout the media. As directors Tony Gerber and Maxim Pozdorovkin sought to tell a tale within this sector of gun smuggling, he of course would prove the logical subject to focus on. The fact he was an amateur filmmaker who documented his travels via home video only made the prospect more intriguing.
Their documentary The Notorious Mr. Bout begins with the 2008 sting operation that brought the titular Russian down. There he sits in grainy black...
Their documentary The Notorious Mr. Bout begins with the 2008 sting operation that brought the titular Russian down. There he sits in grainy black...
- 11/3/2015
- by Jared Mobarak
- The Film Stage
Read More: Exclusive: Meet The Man Who Inspired 'Lord Of War' In Clip From Sundance Doc 'The Notorious Mr. Bout' Andrew Niccol's 2005 film "Lord of War" earned Nicolas Cage some of the best reviews of his varied career. Cage played Yuri Orlov, a Ukrainian-American gunrunner, and now the inspiration behind the character is coming to light in a new documentary from Tony Gerber and Maxim Pozdorovkin. Titled "The Notorious Mr. Bout," the doc exposes the wild life and unconvential professions of Russian buisnessman Viktor Bout. The official synopsis reads: "Viktor Bout was a Russian entrepreneur, a war profiteer, an aviation magnate, an arms smuggler and, strangest of all, an amateur filmmaker. Until three days prior to his 2008 arrest on charges of conspiring to kill Americans, Bout kept the camera running, documenting a life spent in the grey areas of international law. Dubbed the 'merchant of death,' Viktor Bout...
- 10/6/2015
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
The falling leaves are a sure sign it’s now the beginning of awards season, with Oscar short lists starting to leak out, Ida Awards prepping their program and the Emmy’s already handing out golden statues. Also, on the festival circuit this month we have a whole host of big lineup announcements coming from a hefty set of acronym loving non-fiction fests the world over, from Cph:dox and Doc NYC, to Idfa and Ridm. Best of Fests Docs is a monthly snapshot of the films and filmmakers that are the make-up of the docu film festival and awards circuit. Check out the full rundown below:
Cph:dox - Denmark – November 6th-16th
The festival, also known as Copenhagen International Documentary Festival , has announced its 2014 lineup, which was guest curated this year by Citizenfour director Laura Poitras. Over 200 films (with the likes of Robert Greene’s Actress, Joshua Oppenheimer’s The Look of Silence,...
Cph:dox - Denmark – November 6th-16th
The festival, also known as Copenhagen International Documentary Festival , has announced its 2014 lineup, which was guest curated this year by Citizenfour director Laura Poitras. Over 200 films (with the likes of Robert Greene’s Actress, Joshua Oppenheimer’s The Look of Silence,...
- 10/28/2014
- by Jordan M. Smith
- IONCINEMA.com
“Who’s Mr Bout?” is the first thing anyone asks on hearing the title. Think Nicolas Cage’s unscrupulous arms dealer in Lord of War (2005) and you have the answer. However, whereas Cage’s fictitiously-named Yuri Orlov, who is based on Mr Bout, the ‘Merchant of Death’, is slightly insane, the real-life character in directors Tony Gerber and Maxim Pozdorovkin’s documentary comes across as anything but – initially, more jolly capitalist cashing in on a lucrative shipping market in post-Soviet Russia than abject rogue.
The film is pieced together with homemade video from filmmaking enthusiast Viktor Bout to build a picture of him at home and in ‘the workplace’. It then follows the timeline of events until his arrest in Thailand in 2008, following a Us government sting operation that all seems too ‘easy’ to be true. There is also ‘present-day’ commentary from his loyal wife, Alla, as she bravely faces...
The film is pieced together with homemade video from filmmaking enthusiast Viktor Bout to build a picture of him at home and in ‘the workplace’. It then follows the timeline of events until his arrest in Thailand in 2008, following a Us government sting operation that all seems too ‘easy’ to be true. There is also ‘present-day’ commentary from his loyal wife, Alla, as she bravely faces...
- 8/16/2014
- by Lisa Giles-Keddie
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Thanks to the increase in access to small scale non-fiction films through the barrage of streaming services viewers now have access to – Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon Prime, Mubi, Vudu, etc – people are watching more documentaries than ever before. You can literally turn on any web ready device of your choosing and be watching any number of top quality docs within a number of seconds. It’s nothing short of incredible. But, with ease of access comes an over saturation of content used to fill in the curatorial gaps. For every Marwencol, Senna, Gimme Shelter or The Act of Killing, there are heaps of ordures cinéma clogging up precious bandwidth. And let’s not forget, cinemas themselves are enjoying a renewed trust in the non-fiction form, exhibiting over 100 documentaries on the silver screen last year and banking over $50 Million at the box office in the process, not including the hundreds of...
- 7/28/2014
- by Jordan M. Smith
- IONCINEMA.com
"Lord of War" may not have been Nicolas Cage's shining moment, but it probably looked great on paper. The movie sees Cage jet-setting all over the planet with suitcases full of money, and making high-stakes weapons deals in exotic countries. The film is based on the life of Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, and while "Lord of War" may have been a so-so movie, Bout's real life exploits are anything but average.
A new documentary about Bout -- "The Notorious Mr. Bout" -- has made its way to Hot Docs, and it's well worth a look. It may not be as flashy as Hollywood, but it does fill in the blanks on this unimaginable and surprisingly human story. Viktor Bout doesn't love it, but his nickname is "The Merchant of Death." According to authorities around the world, he has earned every letter of this macabre moniker, but Bout thinks...
A new documentary about Bout -- "The Notorious Mr. Bout" -- has made its way to Hot Docs, and it's well worth a look. It may not be as flashy as Hollywood, but it does fill in the blanks on this unimaginable and surprisingly human story. Viktor Bout doesn't love it, but his nickname is "The Merchant of Death." According to authorities around the world, he has earned every letter of this macabre moniker, but Bout thinks...
- 5/2/2014
- by Mark Wigmore
- Moviefone
It’s hard to resist the name Pussy Riot, boasting a provocatively coy blend of sensuality and anger, but some people still find it too inflammatory. Russian President Vladimir Putin is evidently one of those people, given how noticeably he recoils in an interview when asked to discuss the “disgusting” name. While it would make sense for a governing authority like Putin to fear a band with the word “riot” in its name – especially one that has no problem emasculating the president in their own punk anthems – it is amusing to watch him clench up as he approaches the word “pussy.” Way to “pussy-foot” around something so insignificant, Mr. Putin.
Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer, timed for a theatrical and DVD release during Russian Olympic fervor (and furor), is a documentary about three members of the feminist punk outlet who became international icons after authorities detained them after a performance stunt.
Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer, timed for a theatrical and DVD release during Russian Olympic fervor (and furor), is a documentary about three members of the feminist punk outlet who became international icons after authorities detained them after a performance stunt.
- 2/19/2014
- by Jordan Adler
- We Got This Covered
The merchant of death. One of the most dangerous men on the face of the Earth. The man who inspired the Nicolas Cage flick "Lord of War." There has been nothing understated about the life of Viktor Bout, and now his tale will be told in the forthcoming "The Notorious Mr. Bout," premiering at the Sundance Film Festival in the World Cinema Documentary Competition category. Directed by Tony Gerber and Maxim Pozdorovkin, the documentary tells the remarkable true story of the Russian entrepreneur, aviation magnate, amateur filmmaker (really) and arms smuggler, who spent a life dancing between the legalities of international law while becoming one of the most infamous people in his trade. Utilizing home video, DEA surveillance footage and more, "The Notorious Mr. Bout" tells of his rise and fall, and his fame which spread around the globe. And in this exclusive clip from the film, we see a...
- 1/13/2014
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
Shortlist for nominations courts controversy with entries on death squads, homophobia in Uganda and Tahrir Square
Glinting gems, red carpet couture and conspicuous grooming are all hallmarks of Oscar night that can be relied on to brighten up March. This year, however, the Academy Awards will offer more than just glamour. Hollywood is heading to the centre of global political debate.
The films now vying for a prize in the 2014 documentary category are the most politically sensitive yet to be considered for attention at the annual Los Angeles ceremony. They include excoriating cinematic treatments of Indonesian death squads, evangelical homophobia in Uganda, the uprising in Tahrir Square and an attack on the incarceration of orca whales in marine parks.
But ahead of the pack in the controversy stakes so far is Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer, the film that tells the story of the trial and imprisonment of two members...
Glinting gems, red carpet couture and conspicuous grooming are all hallmarks of Oscar night that can be relied on to brighten up March. This year, however, the Academy Awards will offer more than just glamour. Hollywood is heading to the centre of global political debate.
The films now vying for a prize in the 2014 documentary category are the most politically sensitive yet to be considered for attention at the annual Los Angeles ceremony. They include excoriating cinematic treatments of Indonesian death squads, evangelical homophobia in Uganda, the uprising in Tahrir Square and an attack on the incarceration of orca whales in marine parks.
But ahead of the pack in the controversy stakes so far is Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer, the film that tells the story of the trial and imprisonment of two members...
- 1/6/2014
- by Vanessa Thorpe
- The Guardian - Film News
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